How to buy the perfect Bluetooth headset

Finding the right headset can be the determining factor to the success of your relationship with your customer, the quality of family conversations, your productivity at work and even the overall enjoyment you’d get from your music playlist or gaming time.

However, there's a lot of science and engineering that goes into making a pair of headsets sound a particular way. Therefore, getting the best audio experience is more about selecting the right pair, rather than simply choosing by brand or looks.

The following tips will help you get a better understanding of what to look out for in Bluetooth headsets, and how to make an informed choice when you're actually shopping for one.

1. Determine the performance level

For Bluetooth headsets, determining how you’ll use them is important as they come in a wide range of shapes, sizes and prices depending on where, when and how they’re designed to be used.

The performance of headsets mainly involves voice quality and range. Determine what conditions you’ll be communicating with the device as for those placing calls from noisy works sites, or bustling city street and restaurants, noise can be a major problem—therefore, noise cancelling is a feature that enhances the sound quality in headsets. So,lookout for this while shopping for headsets.

Also, you should inquire about the Bluetooth range and some added functionality like readiness for Skype for those who intend to use it from within the hush of office cubicles.

Before purchasing a headset, draft a list of requirements and ensure that the device you choose meets your specific needs. Below are some key features to consider when purchasing Bluetooth headsets:

Dual Microphones

A lot of premium headsets today feature dual microphones to actively engage in noise cancellation which is designed to remove ambient din in the environment such as wind, street noise and highway drones.

Multipoint pairing

Wanting to link your headset to multiple gadgets simultaneously is not a rare situation as many tablets, phones and PCs now integrate seamlessly to Bluetooth technology.

The Multipoint feature allows headsets to connect to two devices at once and make calls on either device.

HD audio

Quite a number of Bluetooth headsets support what manufacturers term ‘HD audio’ or ‘HD-quality sound’. This implies that an HD device can receive, transmit, and reproduce audio at the 16KHz frequency—twice the signal bandwidth of the typical 8Hz headset—for cleaner and more audible sound under ideal conditions.

Customizable fit

For everyone, ears range greatly in size and well-designed Bluetooth headsets provide a wide range of ear tips or swappable earbuds to suit different ear sizes and shapes.

Voice commands and prompts

Though a lot of modern smartphone operating systems come preinstalled with voice commands and high-level search functions, having similar voice features on a headset can be quite convenient.

For Bluetooth headsets boasting such feature, users can answer or reject calls, initiate pairing, or get a battery status update just by simply speaking to the device.

Near-field Communication (NFC)

NFC has been introduced into many major smartphones on the market and its usage isn’t just limited to mobile payments. It can also be used in pairing compatible Bluetooth accessories.

All that needs to be done is to place your smartphone on an NFC-equipped headset and the connection happens almost instantly, without having to fumble around the Settings menu.

3. Be cautious of pricing

For many people, pricing is usually an important factor when buying just about anything. However, some headsets can be incredibly cheap and herein lies the danger.

While, you might think you’ve scored a great deal by getting a Bluetooth headset for cheap, most of these devices have awful voice quality and ergonomics. Though, it doesn’t necessarily mean that the most expensive headsets are the best, just be sure to check the performance level thoroughly before getting swayed by the pricing.

4. Select the right design for you

Everyone has different tastes when it comes to aesthetics and for headset owners, so are their ears. While some headsets are comparatively huge and bulky, others are designed to be extremely comfortable and can be worn for the entire day in an office environment.

There are vast number of headset designs, some better than others at accommodating eyeglass wears and others spotting ultra tiny designs to go unnoticed in the public, below are a few headset design types:

Professional

The first set of Bluetooth headsets were range of luxury device that were targeted at travellers who needed to make business calls either on transit or while telecommuting from home.

Professional headsets are designed to have quality audio, long-lasting battery life, and quite comfortable for a full day use without any pain.

Compact

This type of Bluetooth headset is designed to be small enough to go almost unnoticed, unlike the professional models that tend to be quite bulky.

They are suitable for discreet calls when on transit and are packed with key features such as great audio quality and outstanding battery life, relegating other features to stealth.

Stereo

Stereo Bluetooth headphones that carry microphones have gained popularity due to the recent rise in smartphones and their amazing multimedia skills.

Purchasing a high quality wireless stereo headset lets you enjoy music or audio from a video without the discomfort of wires. Also, in the event of an incoming call, users would be able to answer them without any hassle.

However, it’s important to note that most stereo Bluetooth devices tend to prioritize audio performance above in-call quality.

5. Be sure to buy from a reliable brand

Investing lots of money into buying a new headset and then having to suffer from poor after-sales support later on can be quite disappointing.
Therefore, it is important to buy from reliable brands and read enough reviews of the product before purchasing it.